U.S. Test Fires Nuclear ICBM, Warns “We Are Prepared To Use Nuclear Weapons”

Sending Strong Message to Russia, China and North Korea

By David James Paquin (attributed) Original uploader was Solipsist at en.wikipedia - http://www.smdc.army.mil/SMDCPhoto_Gallery/Missiles/Missiles.htmlTransferred from en.wikipedia; transferred to Commons by User:Saperaud., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=326937

“This is the second ICBM launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in the past 5 days and while it may seem routine, a tremendous amount of effort is required to safely assess the current performance and validate the security of the nation’s fielded ICBM force,” says Col. J. Christopher Moss, the 30th Space Wing commander at VAFB.

Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work, who was at the launch, said such tests, conducted at least 15 times since January 2011, exist to send a message to the likes of Russia, China and North Korea in order to clearly assert that the U.S. has an effective nuclear arsenal.

“We and the Russians and the Chinese routinely do test shots to prove that the operational missiles that we have are reliable. And that is a signal … that we are prepared to use nuclear weapons in defense of our country if necessary.”